Work Text:
8 years old
Primary school, summer
Xiaojun stretched, raising his arm to block his eyes from the sunlight breaking through the foliage of green leaves. The sound of the other kids playing faded into the background, becoming a dull buzz, lulling Xiaojun into a drowsy state. Xiaojun loved summer, loved the warmth and the sound of cicadas chirping at the unbearable heat. Xiaojun’s peace was not long lived, unfortunately, when he heard shrill shouts and loud laughter.
Xiaojun watched from his tree as a group of rowdy kids walked into the playground. The tallest one, clearly the leader of the group, scanned the area before his eyes landed on the black haired catboy playing alone in the sandbox. Catboy had built a pretty impressive castle, adorned with sparkly little gems. And so Xiaojun watched, as the leader continued marching ahead, ahead, into the sandbox and then-
Catboy let out a yelp when the boy's foot connected with his castle, nearly hitting his hand, and his hardwork crumbled in a mere matter of seconds. Catboy looked up, squinting at the other, “Hey! Why'd you do that?”
The obnoxious boy replied, “I felt like it.” At that, catboy's tail started to swing slowly, left and right, left and right as he stood up. A warning. It was a little comical, seeing how catboy was almost a whole foot shorter than the other, but still fiercely glared him down. The other boy took a step back, clearly stunned.
And it was then that one of the leader's friends piped up, “C’mon Zi Yang! Beat him up!'”, “Yeah, beat kitty till he's scrambling to climb up the tree!”, “Do it! Do it!”. The tall boy, egged on by his friends' chorus of encouragements, swung his fist wildly at Catboy. A loud thwack echoed in the playground, followed by the jingling of bells as catboy cradled his reddening cheek, eyes welling up with tears from the pain.
Xiaojun sat up on the branch immediately. He hadn’t expected the others to hit catboy. If they wanted him out of the sandbox, kicking down his sandcastle was enough. Why did they have to hit him too?
“Hey, kitty, why do you have a collar around your neck, huh?”
Catboy pawed at the turquoise collar around his neck, almost as if to check it was still there. He took in a visibly big inhale, before lunging at the tall boy.
In a matter of seconds, tall boy had flipped and pinned catboy down, and started raining punches down on him. The rest of his friends stood outside the sandbox, cheering him on.
Xiaojun climbed down his tree with urgency, scraping the tender skin of his knee in the process, but that didn’t matter, no, all Xiaojun could hear was the bell on catboy’s collar jingling, head getting smacked left and right. At this point, tall boy’s friends had stepped into the sandbox too, taking turns to throw weak punches and kicks at the small, shaking body in the sand.
“Hey! What are you doing? Stop it! Stop it!” Xiaojun shouted, running straight into the sandbox. He brushed past everyone else, and hauled the tall boy off the other with all his strength, pushing him into the sand. Xiaojun might be small, but everyone in kindergarten knew how good Xiaojun was at Football, jianzhi being his specialty. And so, with a well aimed kick to the tall boy's side, Xiaojun spit out “You should be ashamed of yourself! Try that again and I'll give you another taste of my Xiao scissor feet!”
Xiaojun looked on as tall boy's friends all scurried out of the sandbox, probably running to get the teacher. Tall boy pushed himself out the sandbox, “Mind your own business Xiao!”. Xiaojun lifted his foot threateningly, making to kick tall boy again. At that, the other shuddered and threw one last glare at Xiaojun and catboy before running off too, shouting for his friends to wait for him.
Xiaojun turned to his side, only to be met with a withering look.
“You didn't have to do that. Why did you help me? I didn't ask for help.”
Xiaojun was exasperated. “Really? So I should've just sat back and watched a group of people try to beat someone up?”
Catboy was silent now, ears flat against his head. He looked a little ashamed, a little sad. And Xiaojun didn’t know what came over him, but he extended a hand to the boy.
Catboy glanced from the extended hand to Xiaojun's face, and back again, clearly hesitant.
“Take it or leave it. I'm not going to push you into the sand or something.”
Catboy accepted Xiaojun's hand, pushing himself up, dusting the sand off his shorts. “Thanks.” He mumbled quietly.
“No problem. Can I ask you something?” Catboy didn’t reply, so Xiaojun continued, “Why do you wear a collar? Other catboys I know don't.”
Catboy's ears perked up in interest, though his face remained expressionless. “Why do you care?”
Xiaojun hummed, kicking at the sand. He didn’t have an answer for that, so he turned to leave.
“Wait.” Xiaojun turned around, head cocked as he waited patiently for the boy to speak up again. “B-because my mom wants to be able to find me when I'm... stirring up trouble.” Catboy started mumbling again halfway through the sentence, staring down at his feet, a pout on his face.
Xiaojun couldn’t help but smile at that. “That's alright. I'm a bit of a troublemaker too, but I'm the pride of my family!”
At that, catboy glanced up, and finally gave Xiaojun a soft smile. He said nothing else, and watched as Xiaojun walked off, back into the kindergarten building.
-
22 years old
Hendery’s birthday was coming soon, and Xiaojun had found the perfect choker online, complete with a sapphire gemstone. Perfect for his little September baby, since it was his birth stone. Sometime after they had started dating, Xiaojun began to really dive into the world of horoscopes, astrology and spiritual stones. It was cheesy, it really was, but Xiaojun didn’t know who else to thank for bringing the two of them together other than the gods. Xiaojun didn’t believe in soulmates, but he was certain it was fate that had brought them together.
And so, all cheesiness aside, Xiaojun had an issue at hand, a very big issue. The choker was incredibly expensive and it made sense seeing how detailed and intricate it was, heck, the chain was made of 14k white gold. With the amazing reviews on the brand’s products, Xiaojun was sure the sapphire crystal was the real deal, cleansed and perfect, perfect for Hendery. It was expensive, but it was worth it, of course, anything for Xiaojun’s beloved Dery.
Xiaojun knew how much Hendery loved the first collar his mom gave him. It broke a long, long time ago, but Hendery still kept the turquoise pieces inside an aged wooden box. After hitting 11 years of age, Hendery didn't think it was very practical of him to wear a collar anymore, scared that others would judge and talk about him. Xiaojun had obviously disagreed back then, knowing how much comfort it brought to Hendery, how it made him feel safe, but Hendery had insisted.
Now, at 22 years old, Hendery had a whole collection of pretty black chokers, yes, but Xiaojun wanted to get something a little extra for him. Xiaojun wanted to spoil him, wanted something absolutely beautiful and befitting of Hendery. And he knew just how much the other loved all things sparkly. So yes, maybe this fancy choker was a little expensive, but it would be worth Xiaojun working himself to the bone just to make Hendery happy.
-
Hendery had barely seen Xiaojun at all these past few weeks.
Which was really weird, considering they lived together and really, how was it possible that Hendery saw his co-workers much more than his own boyfriend?
Lucas had laughed when Hendery had voiced this out, saying Hendery was worried about nothing. “Isn't your birthday coming up? He wouldn't forget about that, he'll definitely be free for you then!”
When Hendery woke up to an empty bed on his birthday, disappointment wasn't enough to describe how sad he felt.
He and Xiaojun had celebrated his birthday together every year without fail since they became a couple. No matter how busy either of them got. What if this was... it? What if Xiaojun was now too busy, too tired of working and studying part time, tired of having to pay for rent, of living with such a messy person, looking after him, putting up with Hendery’s clinginess and dependency on him?
Hendery felt the familiar pinpricks of his sharp nails digging into his skin. He knew Xiaojun hated it when he scratched everything up when he was stressed, but he was just so... sad at the thought of being unwanted and abandoned. He just wanted Xiaojun to hug him, kiss his cheeks and lull him to sleep with a song, just like he used to.
With a sigh, Hendery withdrew his long nails from his arm, and checked his phone. Messages from his friends and his mother wishing him happy birthday, but nothing from Xiaojun. He locked his phone and put it back down, stretching his arms and listened to the bones pop before getting up. He was sad, yes, but life still had to go on. He had promised his mom he would come home to have lunch with her, and a promise was a promise.
-
Hendery smiled when his key clicked in the lock, pushing the door wide open. A wide array of scents instantly flooded his nose, the smell of lavender, his mother's cooking, Xiaojun and the detergent from the laundry on the drying rack- wait, Xiaojun?
His mother was suddenly in front of him, hugging him so tight Hendery swore he heard his back crack a little. Well, that was okay, Hendery was honestly a little too lanky and thin, maybe it really was time for him to start joining Xiaojun's gym sessions. Wait. Xiaojun.
Hendery patted his mom, wanting her to let go. As soon as she did, sure enough, Xiaojun truly was seated in the living room, smiling gently at Hendery.
“Jun? What are you doing here?”
Giving Hendery one last pat on the head, his mother excused herself to the kitchen, giving them the space they needed. Xiaojun immediately got up and enveloped Hendery in a hug. “Of course! Why wouldn't I be here, silly? It's your birthday!”
Hendery couldn't help it. The familiar warmth of Xiaojun, the scent of rain, of daffodils in the summer, Xiaojun's hair tickling his cheek... He couldn't help the tears welling up and running down his cheeks.
Xiaojun blinked in surprise, reaching up to wipe away the tears. Softly, hushed, he asked, “Baby, what's wrong?”
Hendery could never keep a secret from Xiaojun, big or small. He instantly blurred out how he thought Xiaojun was going to leave him, how much he missed the other, how terribly he missed him these past few weeks.
Xiaojun's lips slowly stretched up into an apologetic smile, and he cradled Hendery's face gently and apologised, over and over again for making him cry... God, Hendery really missed all of Xiaojun.
“I hope this present makes up for my absence. Well, actually now that I think about it maybe it wasn’t worth it, making you cry and everything. I just-“
Hendery tore open the wrapping, opening the leather box and letting out a gasp. It looked so expensive, it felt so expensive, Hendery voiced out, rubbing one of the glass crystals.
“Can I put it on you?” Xiaojun asked, and Hendery nodded. Ducking down, and with a swift turn, Hendery felt the weight of the choker against his neck, the clasp clicking into the place.
Xiaojun took a step back, admiring the way the sapphire shone and reflected the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows. “It’s perfect for you, Dery. Do you like it?”
Hendery rubbed the sparkly sapphire gemstone in the middle, and absolutely melts. He nods furiously at Xiaojun, eyes crinkling in mirth as he laughed fondly at Hendery.
Xiaojun knew it was fated for the both of them to be together.